Lorhainne: Lorhainne Eckhart published her first novel, The Captain’s Lady with The Wild Rose Press, a single title military romance, release date June 26, 2009. She is a mother of three young children. An advocate for special needs children and our environment. She lives in the country on Vancouver Island.Cate: Tell us about The Captain’s Lady, released by The Wild Rose Press, and where else it's available.
Lorhainne: Captain Eric Hamilton discovers a dinghy adrift with a battered, pregnant Abby. She escaped from the Arab who held her captive for over a year. He is charged, maliciously, with sexual assault and the CIA wants Abby and the baby. Can Eric find a way to save them both?
The Captain’s Lady is available from online booksellers, in both print and digital format. I have links on my website at www.LorhainneEckhart.com/ to available booksellers, which include Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Wild Rose Press (digital and print), just to name a few.
Cate: You've had some wonderful reader reviews recently - congrats! One described it as "gripping, romantic and vivid" and the other placed it in the top ten percent of books she'd read, a glowing tribute!
At what age did you discover writing and when were you first published? Tell us your call story.
Lorhainne: It was about five years ago now, that I sat down to write my first novel, although it was several years before this, that I dreamed of writing.
After I finished my novel, I pursued an agent for the first couple of years. There was interest including requests for full and partials of my manuscript. Except it wasn’t until I decided to pursue a publisher directly, did I receive an offer for publication, which happened within a matter of a few weeks. I received two offers. The one I accepted was with The Wild Rose Press, in April of 2008
Cate: Are there any other writers, published or not, in your family?
Lorhainne: There are no writers in my family, so my friends and family were quite shocked when they heard I published my first novel.
Cate: Describe your writing in three words.
Lorhainne: Intense, Gripping, and romantic.
Cate: Do you have a writing routine?
Lorhainne: I do have a writing routine. I treat it like a job. I write every morning and early afternoon. I get up anywhere between 4 and 5 am to write for a few hours before the kids get up. Then after they are at school, I sit down and write. I establish a word count that I need to complete each day. So if I reach that word count early, I’m finished for the day. One thing I try not to do is schedule anything in the morning.
Cate: How do you pick the character’s names?
Lorhainne: I pick the characters names based on their personalities. It either fits or it doesn’t. A name is like your own unique style, characteristics of a person. Generally a name comes to me for a character, if not I search for names based on that personality. When I write about a character I research their background of the part of the country they come from. I do look up that state or city, for common names, that are common in that area.
Cate: What’s the most challenging aspect of writing? Easiest?
Lorhainne: The most challenging aspect of writing, is the research. I am detail oriented, so I need to have facts. Sometimes the research takes more time than the actual writing of the novel.
The easiest aspect of writing for me is allowing the plot to unfold. When I have uninterrupted time to get into a scene, the ideas flow. It’s that beginning stage before I go back and edit.
Cate: What’s the most rewarding aspect?
Lorhainne: When I finish editing a novel, after all the research, countless hours of writing, including polish that manuscript over and over. When that is done, for me it is the most rewarding.
Cate: Do you feel as if the characters live with you as you write? Do they haunt your dreams?
Lorhainne: The characters come alive for me when I write, they have their own personality, their own story to tell. I can see them in a multi faceted way when I write.
They do not haunt my dreams, but if I am stuck on scene I quite often will wake up from a dream with the aspect of the story that I am looking for.
Cate: What’s the most interesting comment you have received about your books?
Lorhainne: “My copy of The Captain’s Lady arrived yesterday. It looks great. I almost over cooked my halibut steak when I opened the book and started to read. Great opening pages.”
Cate: Who are some of your favorite authors and books? What are you reading now?
Lorhainne: I have many favorite authors, Suzanne Brockmann, Karen Robards, James Patterson, Stephanie Laurens, Linda Howard, Nicholas Sparks… these are just a few, I am just getting into reading some brand new authors and I am sure I will be adding them to favorite authors.
Books: One that stands out as my all time favorite, is Ride the Wind by Lucia St. Clair Robson. Today I am reading a Suzanne Brockmann novel, Kiss and Tell.
Cate: What impact do electronic readers create on the bottom line for authors? Or in people/the environment in general?
Lorhainne: Well first off, until I published my novel. I knew nothing of electronic readers. This is a new area for me.
Although my perspective in this day of the electronic age, I understand many readers prefer the e-format. But the vast majority of readers, still want that hardcopy book in their hands. It’s tactile. The bottom line for authors, I think it’s a benefit to have your novel available in both formats, so the reader has a choice. It all boils down to what our readers prefer and in which format. Electronic readers are necessary and benefit the author in the long run. They are quick and easy for people, you can instantly download a novel. Take several novels with you on holidays in a compact format. For the environment, there is no paper so it saves trees.
Cate: What's next for you?
Lorhainne: I just finished writing and polishing my third novel. Now I am researching literary agents. I feel it’s time to pursue representation. The third novel has a planned sequel, which picks up after the tragic loss of one of the characters in the story. So along with promoting my first novel and seeking representation, I am have also starting writing my fourth novel.
Cate: Where can you be found on the web?
Lorhainne: My author’s website is at www.LorhainneEckhart.com/
Cate: Is there anything you’d like to ask our readers?
Lorhainne: What aspect of my novel makes you want to read it?
Cate: Readers, Lorhainne is giving away a book to a random commenter... so start commenting! She'll pick a winner on at the end of the tour, and the blog host will be notified. Stay tuned to see if you might be the winner.
In the meantime, enjoy an excerpt from The Captain's Lady:
“We have no reports of a ship in distress in the area, Captain.”“What about fishing boats?”
“No, sir, no reports.”
Looking once more at his first officer, Eric issued curt orders, the harshness grating in his voice. “Send a rescue team to check it out.”
Handing the binoculars off to one of the crew members, he strode with determination off the bridge, heading directly to the ship’s launch. His well-trained crew scurried about. Joe appeared at his side and they watched from the rail as the small rigid hull sped off in the direction of the dinghy. His pulse rose and the dampness on his back soaked through his short-sleeved shirt.
“So what do you think?” Joe leaned on the rail, uncertainty clear in the crinkle of his brows.
“Don’t know, dammit.” Eric focused on the scene unfolding in the distance. Again he commandeered the binoculars from Joe and scrutinized the three-man team approaching, then securing the boat to the dinghy.
His senses were keen; over the years, he’d learned to trust them. The uneasiness that crept its way into his gut, the hairs now standing up on the back of his neck and the racing of his heart; this unshakable feeling was telling him that things were about to change—drastically. Puzzled, he felt the mounting frustration build inside, along with something else he could not quite put his finger on. Shaking his head, he realized it was not a feeling of dread.
The crackle of the radio interrupted his speculation. A voice from the rescue team came over the line. “There’s someone in here, a woman, and she’s in bad shape.”
